Laser Inscription Not by GIA

[mike734]

So i'm getting a GIA certified stone that was not laser inscribed. I know there are plenty of jewelry stores that do laser inscribing nearby. If I have a local jeweler inscribe the stone with the cert. # will it somehow affect the value of the stone because the cert. doesn't show laser inscription? Will it affect the validity of the cert. if I do this? I've heard if you have GIA inscribe the stone they will change the cert to reflect laser inscription. I would like to avoid sending it to GIA if possible.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mike734]

Is there any negative associated with having a local jeweler laser inscribe GIA # on your stone as opposed to having GIA do it and update the cert.

 

[Christina...]

I'm not sure....I was under the impression the the jeweler would send it out to GIA for inscription rather than do it themselves. Although I'm not sure why I automatically assumed this. I wouldn't think that adding the inscription to the stone would have any negative affect on it's value so long as the inscription and the report # were the same. Again just a guess, others here will have more knowledge.

 

[VRBeauty]

If I were a knowledgeable buyer, and you hand me a GIA cert for which does not mention that the diamond in question is inscribed, and then hand me a diamond inscribed with that cert number and try to tell it's the diamond described in the cert... I probably wouldn't buy your story at face value. That's probably why GIA would issue a new cert and cert number if you want the stone inscribed - using the same number, you'd end up with a stone that no longer matches the description in the original cert.

 

[Christina...]

If I were a knowledgeable buyer, and you hand me a GIA cert for which does not mention that the diamond in question is inscribed, and then hand me a diamond inscribed with that cert number and try to tell it's the diamond described in the cert... I probably wouldn't buy your story at face value. That's probably why GIA would issue a new cert and cert number if you want the stone inscribed - using the same number, you'd end up with a stone that no longer matches the description in the original cert.

This is a good point, I hadn't considered this. Is there a reason that you prefer not to send the stone back to GIA?

 

[mike734]

I just don't want to wait the time that GIA will take to do it. Does anyone know if you can drop off a stone at the NYC lab in the morning and have it inscribed and re certified that day? Are they open on weekends?

Also any pros/cons of getting a laser inscription of the cert #?

 

[denverappraiser]

Presence or absence of an inscription has no affect on value, regardless of who did it. You can recognize a GIA done inscription becasue they include a GIA logo and use a fairly recognizable font and, if you want one, any jeweler in the country can arrange to have GIA do it for a modest fee and a little bit of shipping. Doing it in-house if they've got the tool is faster and possibly a little bit cheaper but it's just not a huge problem either way. I think it's not as common as your are imagining to have the tool. They're decidedly expensive and the service is cheap. Lots of jewelers will broker out GIA, AGS or one of the other services but, for example, I only know of one laser inscription machine in my whole state.

GIA NY has a drop off service with a rush charge and I think they do it in a day. No, they're not open on the weekends. I think GCAL has weekend hours and they can do it if you don't like GIA for whatever reason. They're only a block away. www.gemfacts.com

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Why are you so concerned about having this done? Most diamonds are not laser inscribed.

 

[mike734]

I suppose I bought the hype that it's a more secure thing to have it inscribed when you get it cleaned etc. Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Only go to a reputable jeweler to have your ring worked on. I choose high end, independent jewelers who have a good reputation of many years for repairs and maintenance. As far as cleaning goes, I really do that at home, but if you did it at a jewelry store, it only takes a few minutes and there is no chance for your stone to be taken out and reset. That is very, very rare and just doesn't happen with established jewelers.

 

[Hera]

I wouldn't have anyone but GIA do it. My understanding is that they would do an update to the certificate. They wouldn't change the number or anything like that. It's very inexpensive to have it done ($16ish). The only question is whether they re-grade the stone as well.

 

[VRBeauty]

I suppose I bought the hype that it's a more secure thing to have it inscribed when you get it cleaned etc. Thanks for the info everyone.

I think the question of whether the engraving adds value to the stone is separate from the question of whether it's worthwhile to get it done. The question is, would the engraving give you some peace of mind that would make it worthwhile to you? A laser inscription allows for a quick and easy verification that the diamond in question corresponds to the GIA certificate. A good jeweler or appraiser could also provide that verification with just the certificate. Very, very rarely do people post here that they believe someone switched their diamond out during ring maintenance or repair. Very rarely, but it does happen. The best deterrent to something like this happening is as DS mentioned to work with trusted jewelers... but I suppose a laser engraving could also be a deterrent to this type of chicanery. As to resale value, I'm sure Denver Appraiser knows whereof he speaks. However, I've bought diamond pieces on the secondary market (consumer-to-consumer) and knowing that I could easily verify that the diamonds matched the certificates did influence the sale for me.

So - whether it's worth the bit of extra time and relatively minimal expense to get the diamond engraved is still a question of what it's worth to you!

BTW, in theory, at least you could get a special message engraved on the girdle, and get the diamond re-certed so that the cert noted that message, and it would serve almost the same purpose, but cooler...

 

[Hera]

I just don't want to wait the time that GIA will take to do it. Does anyone know if you can drop off a stone at the NYC lab in the morning and have it inscribed and re certified that day? Are they open on weekends?

Also any pros/cons of getting a laser inscription of the cert #?

I think that there is value to having the cert number on the GIA paperwork IF you ever plan on selling it. I plan on selling my stone soon so that's why I sent it to GIA to get the grading redone and I asked for them to inscribe the stone. This way, when I sell it there is a little bit of buyer assurance that the stone is the one that belongs to the certification. Many people simply cannot read a report and follow the inclusions so this is easier for them. In that case, the $16 is worth it to me.

 

[mike734]

A lot of good insight. Thanks everyone. I think it's the peace of mind that I like, although hopefully the ring won't need to be worked on frequently and I don't plan on selling it to someone any time soon.

I emailed GIA and they said there a $16 fee for the laser and a $53 fee to verify the stone and update the cert. The cost is not an issue it's more of a timing thing now. I want to give this to my girlfriend immensely, since I've been shopping for months now.

In the event that we wanted to have it lasered in the future, is it detrimental to the setting to have the stone removed and then reset. Do the prong experience any fatigue similar to an aluminum can tab. Essentially, if removed and reset is the stone still just as secure?

 

[Rockdiamond]

Actually if someone modifies a diamond with a GIA report in any way it affect value- if only to a small degree
The reason is that it invalidates the report
On resubmission the grade may change. Not likely but definitely possible
But even with no grade change you still have the time and expense of an updated report
My advice woe be to avoid having anyone but GIA do laser engraving of diamonds

 

[sarahb]

For what it's worth, I had requested a copy of the original GIA report, as I am considering selling my stone. Once we received it we thought we should perhaps a get the number inscribed on the diamond--so I again emailed GIA asking about inscriptions: here is the answer from GIA, copy & pasted below:


You can resubmit the loose diamond along with the original GIA report (no copies) for a conversion and we will convert the Diamond Grading Report to a Dossier report which will include the inscription. The cost will be $83.00 plus return shipping. Keep in mind, the Dossier report is a mini report that does not come with a diagram of the diamond. See Dossier sample http://www.gia.edu/lab-reports-services/diamonds/diamond-reports/dossier-report.pdf

You might consider getting an update with inscription. The cost is 75% of the grading cost, for your stone $91.00 for the update, $16.00 for the inscription plus return shipping and handling. The advantage of getting the update service is you will receive a the same report type you currently have that shows the diagram of the diamond with the inclusions, new grading information, a new date on the report and the report number inscription as well. You must also let us know if you would like to keep the same report number, otherwise a new report number will be assigned.

Gwen

Gwen Travis
Supervisor, Carlsbad Client Services
GIA Laboratory
5355 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, California 92008
Tel: 760 603 4519
Fax: 760 603 1814
E-mail: [email protected]
www.gia.edu

 

[sarahb]

Here is another clarification on inscriptions from GIA:

All diamonds graded by GIA are not inscribed with the GIA report number. Only diamonds submitted for a GIA Dossier report are automatically inscribed.

Diamonds that receive a GIA Diamond Grading report can be inscribed at the request of the submitting client for an additional fee which is determined by the size of the diamond.

The diamond for the report you have was not inscribed with the GIA report number because the submitting client did not request the inscription to be performed.

Also, the duplicate will have the original grading date of 1998

Gwen

Gwen Travis
Supervisor, Carlsbad Client Services
GIA Laboratory
5355 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, California 92008
Tel: 760 603 4519
Fax: 760 603 1814
E-mail: [email protected]
www.gia.edu

 

[denverappraiser]

For what it's worth, I had requested a copy of the original GIA report, as I am considering selling my stone. Once we received it we thought we should perhaps a get the number inscribed on the diamond--so I again emailed GIA asking about inscriptions: here is the answer from GIA, copy & pasted below:

I think it's unlikely that an inscription will help you sell your stone nor is it likely affect the price you can realize. A reasonably current report date might, depending on what your marketing plans are but it's not a given that the extra will be enough to justify the cost. If you're going to submit it for update anyway, you might as well get the inscription done but I wouldn't submit it for this reason, especially if you're not in NYC and will have to deal with shipping and insurance. As was pointed out above, if you submit to another inspection they reserve the right to change the grade as well. It doesn't happen all that often but it does happen, and Murphy's law would suggest that any changes won't be in your favor. I would also add that if the original report was done in 1998 and the stone is a round brilliant, the cut grade didn't apply. If your plan is to use this as an advertisement, you may or may not want it. A cut of 'good' or below will not help your case.